That's All I've Got

The Super Bowl is set. Philadelphia versus Kansas City. Top seed in the NFC meeting the top seed from the AFC. Two very versatile quarterbacks: Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, a possible NFL M.V.P. opposite Patrick Mahomes, the prime time player everyone wants to watch, and another M.V.P. candidate.

There are so many story lines here. Let’s start with the fact that two young QB’s who are black are leading their teams. A first in NFL annals. And they are really good at their craft. 

As I said, Hurts has had a phenomenal season, even if it was marred by a shoulder injury which still may not have healed. Mahomes led his team to anther AFC title game—each year he has been in the league he has done that. And he managed to win on Sunday while playing with a limp from a high ankle sprain suffered the week before. With a little help from a flag thrown for a late hit, Mahomes’ gutsy last ditch scamper for a first down was what separated the Chiefs from the Cincinnati Bengals and the AFC crown.  

The receivers are pretty darn good. Both have punishing runners. KC has put the most points on the board this season. Philadelphia has gone over 30 points in each of its two playoff games. The Eagles appear to have the better offensive line, but not by much.

What separates these teams is the Philadelphia defense. They are big. They are strong. They are fast. How they respond to the improvisation of Mahomes remains to be seen. BTW-Haason Reddick is a beast. 

There is the matter of the head coaches. Nick Siriani is in his first Super Bowl leading the Eagles. Andy Reid is the winningest coach ever for…the Eagles. Plus he is one win away from becoming the Chiefs’ head guy with the most wins. 

The pressure on Siriani is from the rabid Philly fans and on a team that was the NFL leader in wins. Reid has that Eagles connection, and he had a loss in the big game while at Philadelphia—which I am sure Eagles fans won’t let Reid forget. 

Reid has guided the Chiefs to five consecutive AFC Championship games. Yet he is 1-1 with KC in his career in the Super Bowl. He will forever remembered as a loser if he does not win this game. Because it is against his old team and he was run out of The City Of Brotherly Love after a 4-12 season. 

One other Super Bowl note—this will be a meeting of the Kelce brothers. Travis is a KC super star tight end. Jason is his older brother and a center for Philadelphia. Both excel at their craft and are likely to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You will notice Travis more often, as he is a favorite target for Mahomes. You will hear Jason’s name too, as he protects Hurts and is a key cog in the Eagles potent ground attack. And you will see them embrace after the game, no matter the score.

I felt badly for the incredible sensation named Brock Purdy. In the first series of the game, Purdy went back to pass and his arm was struck by Reddick. While he returned to try to play, Purdy and the 49’ers just could not match the Eagles offense nor solve the defense. 

Purdy has a torn UCL, which will keep him out at least 6 months or more, depending upon if he has surgery. San Francisco has major QB woes. Could Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady be headed to the team of their youth?

On to college basketball. Purdue has taken over the top spot. 7’4” Canadian Zach Eden has been dominant all season. The Boilermakers sole loss this season was to Rutgers in a close game. Matt Painter’s squad has been the best so far, and at this juncture they deservedly are number one. Purdue, along with #19 Florida Atlantic, are both 21-1. 

I’ve heard some experts saying that the Big Ten will have nine teams make the NCAA’s. That is overload for one conference—which hasn’t won a title in eons. Perhaps Purdue is good enough to win it all this season. They have beaten #12 Gonzaga, West Virginia, Duke and Florida State. 

But the other teams are being rewarded for beating up on each other while being so-so playing outside of the conference. Second place Northwestern has a 15-5 record and has beaten no one of significance in non-conference play. Illinois notched a victory over #9 UCLA but has a loss to unranked Virginia. #21 Indiana, the only other ranked Big Ten team, has no wins against Top 25 opposition. Rutgers’ big win was at Purdue. Michigan State has no wins over Top 25 teams. Nor does Maryland and  Penn State. Iowa did down #13 Iowa State.

That’s hardly a frightening group outside of Purdue. Which is why I always say that the Big Ten is overrated. 

Conversely, the leading Big 12 has teams that have better overall records and have recorded some quality wins. Texas, Kansas State and Kansas have records of 18-4, 18-3 and 17-4 respectively. Six Big 12 schools populate the Top 25.  But are these schools better than the Big Ten? Really hard to tell. 

The team to watch is Arizona. While sitting at 19-3, the Wildcats have downed four Top 25 teams thus far. Two of the three losses were on the road. I believe that six teams from this underrated conference will make the Big Dance. Watch out for the Pac 12. 

I am guessing that the ACC will get 7 into the tournament. While that is a large number, that does not mean that all of them will do well with outside opposition. 

Returning to Rutgers, I was in attendance last Tuesday when the Scarlet Knights hosted Penn State. While it appeared that RU had outplayed the Nittany Lions by the final score of 65-45, Rutgers led by only 3 in the second half before Penn State went cold from the floor.

RU supposedly has this great defense. Iowa outplayed them on Sunday, putting up over 90 points on the scoreboard. The Hawkeyes bombed away from three point land in Piscataway for a win; they did the same at home. 

Those thinking that RU is a five or six seed are wrong. I believe that they are no better than a 7 or 8. They host Minnesota then meet Michigan State at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. A win at MSG over the Spartans would tell me a lot about Rutgers. For the schedule takes them away from Jersey Mike’s Arena to Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, where the Knights historically have trouble. Other road games are at Minnesota and Penn State. The home slate includes Michigan, cellar dwelling Nebraska and second place Northwestern, which RU defeated in Evanston. 

Rutgers could easily end up with a 10-10 mark in the Big Ten. Which would put them in the middle of the pack. RU might need to get a win in the Big Ten Tournament to secure a berth. Unless I am underestimating this group. 

Watching Penn State on Tuesday, I saw that they were unable to finish their shots at the rim, and for a good three point shooting team, the Nittany Lions made under 20% of their long-range shots. While pundits are placing PSU in the tournament, I think that they belong more in the NIT.

In what has become a meaningless season, F&M attained revenge over Washington College, the worst in the Centennial Conference—their sole win came at the expense of the Diplomats, when the Shroremen won in Lancaster. Losing twice to Washington would have been embarrassing. 

In another CC game, #9 Swarthmore fell to #12 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.  Those fine academic schools can play some heady hoops. 

Suddenly the once invincible Boston Bruins have lost three in a row. While they still lead the league in points by a significant margin, it is apparent that the Bruins can be mortal after all. 

Carolina and New Jersey are hot heading into the All-Star break. Edmonton is the hottest team in the West, but they remain behind upstart Seattle. The Vegas Golden Knights went on a tailspin in their past ten games, allowing the fledgling franchise to pass them. Look over your shoulder, Edmonton and Connor Mc David, the most electrifying player in the sport, are on your tails. The standings as they stand right now are certainly subject to change.

Lastly, a simple declaration of hockey love to Bobby Hull, who passed away this week. The Golden Jet had the first true slap shot in professional hockey. He was tough, strong and a big time goal scorer. While he left the NHL for the World Hockey Association and a ton of money, I will always recall Hull playing for the Chicago Black Hawks alongside Stan Mikita, another Hockey Hall of Fame player. 

That’s all I’ve got for this week.